Today Iâm talking with Ashley Diamond from My Healthy Happier Life â sheâs run and spectated the New York City Marathon several times and sheâs a New Yorker so sheâs sharing the best tips on how to prep for the course, what you need to know for race morning plus tips for spectators.

I ran the race in 2013 but sheâs the expert so we hit all the bases including â the one food you MUST eat while in NYC (spoiler: itâs NOT pizza!?). And most of the tips can help you prepare for any race â any distance! We get into timing your pre-run food and making friends and more!

Itâs a really fun conversation too â I forgot until she mentionedÂ – we first met at The Reach the Beach Relay race years ago that we go way back!

Weâre sharing a lot of tips and kinda hang out with us on this episode!

In case youâre new hereâ¦ Iâm Monica Olivas â a marathon runner, marathon eater and podcaster in Southern California. I started RunEatRepeat.com to share my running and weight loss story â it grew into an amazing community online and now itâs this podcast.Â

I ran the Revel Marathon Big Bear . And Iâm talking to you â¦ so I didnât die.

But I did get a little sick right before the race and I did this interview with Ashley the day after so Iâm a mouth breather and sound a lil congested. Gross. But if you run faster it sounds better â¦ so speed up!

I realized I was getting sick on Thursday and tried to fight it off with sleep and vitamin C. But I had a fancy VIP trip to Disneyland planned for Friday and couldnât bail on that. Soâ¦ I got a lil sick. It was mostly mocos and mouth breathing.

Saturdayâ¦ I got up early and bought new tires for my car because I was driving all the way to Redlands with my only friend and wanted her to be safe. And my brother told me itâs not smart to be driving on flat old tires soâ¦ yeah.

On the way there SR was hungry and I realized I hadnât eaten lunch so we stopped at Chick Fil A around 4:30pm. This wasnât the best pre-race meal but SR lives in Alaska where thereâs no Chick Fil A and I live in a fantasy world without reason.

We got our bibs and went to my Nino and Ninaâs house â theyâre about an hour from me and were about 20 minutes from the shuttle bus pick up for the race.

Revel Big Bear starts up the mountain in Big Bear so you have to park and take a shuttle to the start line. It takes almost an hour to get to the start! So SR scared me because she kept worrying that sheâd have to pee on the bus so she ducked out of line to pee somewhere and then I thought I should and might have peed on SRâs Boston Marathon poncho. And weâll find out if she listens to the show if she tells me something about it. Boom.

Race â last week I set a few goals for myself, mostly because I felt like just saying â Iâm running a marathon. K. Bye. â and leaving it at that was awkward.

My goals were:

A. Run a sub-4 hour marathon

B. Finish the marathon strong â run smart, pay attention to fuel and how I feel to learn from it

C. Finish.

D. Not die.

I hit my goal and ran it in 3:50:47. Pace 8:48.

Notes: I never really felt like I got in the zone. When youâre running 26 miles and arenât going for a PR â I like to get to a pace where I feel like âI can do this all dayâ. [ How to Pace Yourself for a Marathon ]

I felt kinda meh the whole time. It felt like it took more effort than it should have given the paces I was running trying to keep it easy. There are a lot of reasons I didnât feel 100% â my fitness level, the altitude or me being a lil under the weather or my nerves or crappy fueling or stomach â¦ ?? But I am happy that despite not feeling great I did it!

I stopped at the restrooms 2x and took my time.

I wanted to walk the rest of the race around mile 19. I walked through the water station and had SR take some pics of me around that point.

I didnât want to quit but I wanted to just walk it in the last 6 miles. But SR kept bugging me and we argued. And she was quiet for a bit and then started again and I got mad.

But Iâm glad she pushed me because I am proud of how I did.

And Iâm extra grateful she came out to run this race with me because Iâve registered for several marathons in the last year and a half and either stepped down to the half or back out all together of every single one.

I probably wouldâve done that again â so SR deserves all the credit that I ran a whole marathon.

And I feel a lot better about myself and my abilities now. Itâs not about the time â itâs that I didnât think I could.

New York City Marathon Training, Race Day and What to Eat â The Best Tips Podcast

Ashley Diamond is a runner, blogger, wife and mom working in e-commerce in New York City. Sheâs run and spectated the New York City Marathon several times and considers it her favorite race. Today Iâm asking her for all the best tips on training, race morning, the course and where to eat. Sheâs currently training for a half marathon and you can keep up with her at My Healthy Happier Life

(I think the only post-race picture I have was with Ben) I was freezing after the race and just wanted to find him and get inside. He was watching the race with friends and as soon as they found me they snapped a pic of use together and we headed inside.

This Mexican Street Corn Elote Recipe is part of a sponsored collaboration with Vive Mejor and Knorr. All opinions and photos are my own.Â Hello! Today Iâm recreating one of my favorite Mexican snacks or side … 7204356455

Hello! I ran the Revel Big Bear Marathon this weekend! I did a bunch of Instagram Stories on it â make sure youâre following @RunEatRepeat on IG for the updates!! I hadnât run a full marathon in a long time so I … (312) 683-7565

Running

Hello! I ran the Revel Big Bear Marathon this weekend! I did a bunch of Instagram Stories on it â make sure youâre following @RunEatRepeat on IG for the updates!! I hadnât run a full marathon in a long time so I … More Â»

Hello! Itâs a new month and a new week! I love when Mondays time up with the 1st of the month â is that weird? I have a round up of highlights from September coming up but I wanted to share this monthly goals … More Â»

Recipes

This Mexican Street Corn Elote Recipe is part of a sponsored collaboration with Vive Mejor and Knorr. All opinions and photos are my own.Â Hello! Today Iâm recreating one of my favorite Mexican snacks or side … 9174251596

Weight Loss

Itâs finally Pumpkin season!! Or is it called Fall? â¦ Either way I have a round up of the BEST Healthy Pumpkin food items at Trader Joes! These are a handful of my favorite seasonal foods from TJâs focused on the … More Â»

Today Iâm talking with Dr. Jason Karp aka the Google of Running (or at least thatâs the impromptu nickname I gave him during the interview)! Karp is a Running Coach with a PhD in exercise physiology and a masterâs … More Â»

Lifestyle

Today Iâm talking with Ashley Diamond from My Healthy Happier Life â sheâs run and spectated the New York City Marathon several times and sheâs a New Yorker so sheâs sharing the best tips on how to prep for the … (212) 227-5055

Today Iâm talking with Registered DietitianÂ Lindsey Janeiro all about collagen. Collagen powder is the hottest supplement on social media with people putting it in everything from coffee to protein snack bites. So … amino acid

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or registered dietitian. The views I express are mine alone, based on my own experiences, and should not be taken as medical advice. I am a certified running coach, but am sharing my own training - not providing a program for you. Please speak with a medical professional before making any changes to your diet or exercise. Affiliates: Please note that affiliate links and sponsored posts may pop up on RER from time to time. I greatly appreciate your support! More Â»